Coveney tells UN 'the stench of burning bodies' hung over his Ukraine trip

UN Security Council hears foreign minister's indictment of Russia's 'madness' — as well as practical steps including Ireland's increased commitment to the International Criminal Court

Ireland's Minister for Foreign Affairs and Defence, Simon Coveney, pictured with members of the Defence Forces during 1916 commemorations at the GPO on Dublin's O'Connell St at the weekend. Picture: Gareth Chaney/Collins

Simon Coveney has told the UN the "stench of burning buildings and bodies" hung over his trip to Ukraine last week.

Speaking in New York at the UN Security Council, the Minister of Foreign Affairs noted the renewed offensive by Russian forces on Eastern Ukraine.

"In the shadow of further bloodshed, further senseless killing, further disregard for civilian lives — of continued blatant violations of the UN Charter," he said.

Mr Coveney said what he saw last Thursday in Bucha "was profoundly shocking": 

It now lies in ruins, with the stench of burning buildings and bodies in the air. Hundreds of family homes, shops and other civilian infrastructure: blackened, burnt, looted, damaged, destroyed.

"Family cars, riddled with bullets, windshields smashed, bloodstains still evident.

"I’ve been around long enough to know the truth from staged propaganda when I see it. There was nothing fabricated about what I witnessed."

Mr Coveney described standing at a mass grave, where 503 civilian bodies were exhumed who appeared "to have been deliberately killed in the most brutal manner". 

He said that although Ireland is a small country and not a member of any military alliance, the country had earned its seat on the Security Council which, the Government believes, is the ultimate arbiter on matters of war and peace.

He called on the Security Council to ensure that — in situations where war crimes may have been committed — timely, credible investigations are undertaken; that evidence is rigorously documented; and that witnesses, victims, and survivors are supported.

Mr Coveney said that, for that reason, Ireland has committed an additional €3m in funding to the International Criminal Court.

"Without accountability and truth, there is no hope of a sustainable peace; not in Ukraine, not anywhere," he said.

"The humanitarian consequences of this war are also being felt thousands of miles from Ukraine, by some of the most vulnerable members of our international community.

Countries across the Middle East and the Horn of Africa, but also in Latin America, are increasingly impacted by the severe economic consequences of this conflict. 

Mr Coveney said the most vulnerable people around the globe cannot become collateral damage in yet another disaster for which they bear no responsibility.

"Ireland cannot, and will not, remain silent while this senseless and devastating war continues," he said. "Neither should any member of this Council.

"As it was on 25 February, so it is today — this is a war of choice. It can end immediately if president Putin so decides.

It is madness. We have to stop this war. 

"I want to call on Russia directly — agree to an immediate humanitarian ceasefire, commit to negotiations, respect this Charter.

"I hear the narrative, from far too many quarters, that peace is only possible after the battle for Donbas. I can’t accept that logic; a logic that leads directly to further death, further suffering, further displacement."

In meetings throughout the day, Mr Coveney briefed a number of UN delegates about what he saw in Ukraine. The representatives he met included Pramila Patten, the UN's special representative on sexual violence in conflict, after reports of rape being used as a weapon of war in Putin's invasion.

Mr Coveney also held a lunch meeting with Linda Thomas Greenfield, the US permanent representative at the UN and member of US president Joe Biden's cabinet, as well as Sergiy Kyslytsya, Ukraine’s permanent representative to the UN.